A JAPANESE HOLOCAUST RESCUER

Get the latest Flash player

JapanGovernment
August 23, 2008

"Do you remember this?"　One day in August 1968, the event happened unexpectedly. A gentleman came over to Sugihara 'Sempo' Chiune suddenly. Showing Sugihara one tattered piece of paper, this gentleman asked him, "Do you remember this, Mr. Sugihara?" The piece of paper was the transit visa that Sugihara issued in Kaunas, Lithuania 28 years ago.

28 years ago, in the summer of 1940, Sugihara Chiune was serving as the Japanese consul in Lithuania. At that time, many Jewish people fled from Poland where had been occupied by Nazi Germany were crowding into Lithuania. Jewish refugees were trying desperately to get visa at foreign embassies or consulates in Lithuania. However, the Soviet Union, which adopted anti-Semitic policy (anti-Semitic=anti-Jewish) annexed Lithuania as a part of the Soviet Union, requested countries to close foreign embassies or consulates in Lithuania. The last foreign consulate left in Lithuania was Japanese consulate. So, many Jewish people who sought visa for the purpose of escaping to another country crowded into the Japanese consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania. At first, although Japanese government was repeatedly requested to cooperate in anti-Semitic policy by Nazi Germany, Japanese government took a neutral position in an official manner. However, Japanese Foreign Ministry kept tough visa requirements.

On July 18th in 1940, Sugihara Chiune cabled Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo as to the approval of emergency visa. However, Tokyo replied the next day and told Sugihara to keep visa requirements. Sugihara cabled Tokyo several times. But Tokyo repeated the same response. A week later, on July 25th, Sugihara decided on his own accord and started giving Jewish refugees transit visa for humanitarian reasons. Sugihara Chiune kept writing transit visa in a little more than a month between July 25th and September 5th, though Sugihara received the expulsion order from the Soviet Union epeatedly. The number of transit visa that Sugihara gave Jewish refugees was 2,139. But this number 2,139 is just the number of visa that Sugihara numbered and recorded. Sugihara stopped numbering visa for laborsaving as the Japanese consulate closing day neared. Sugihara kept writing visa in the station until immediately before the train departure. So, the total number of visa that Sugihara gave Jewish refugees in a little more than a month is supposed to have reached more than twice the number 2,139.

On September 5th in 1940, Sugihara Chiune and his family was in the station to board a train for Berlin. Jewish refugees who had known that Sugihara would go on board a train on the day gathered at the station. Sugihara wrote visa on the platform. After he and his family went on board, Jewish refugees hanged on the windows of the train. Sugihara wrote visa from the window of the train. When the train started moving, he couldn't write visa any more. Everybody was waving their hands. One of them called out, "Thank you, Mr.Sugihara. We will come to see you again." And he came running after the train.

After that, Sugihara and his family lived several cities (Prague, Kaliningrad and etc.) and they lived in Bucharest, Romania when World War II ended in 1945. Sugihara and his family were detained by the Soviet military that invaded Bucharest then and they were sent to prison camp (Ghencea, Romania). It was April in 1947 that Sugihara and his family returned to Japan. But Japanese Foreign Ministry didn't welcome Sugihara and persuaded him into his resignation because of Ministry's downsizing. Sugihara changed jobs frequently after resigning from Japanese Foreign Ministry.

"Do you remember this?"　One day in August 1968, the event happened unexpectedly. A gentleman came over to Sugihara Chiune suddenly. Showing Sugihara one tattered piece of paper, this gentleman asked him, "Do you remember this, Mr. Sugihara?" The piece of paper was the transit visa that Sugihara issued in Kaunas, Lithuania 28 years ago. "At last, I found you, Mr. Sugihara. We still can't forget you." This gentleman's name is B.Gehashra Nishri. B.Gehashra Nishri was the counsellor for Israeli embassy in Japan. B.Gehashra Nishri had been looking for Sugihara Chiune since that station. That station was Kaunas' rail station in Lithuania.

In 1985, Sugihara 'Senpo' Chiune was given the title of "the Righteous Among the Nations"for his contribution to rescue more than 6,000 Jewish from Holocaust by the government of Israel.

TAMAGAWABOAT
http://tamagawaboat.wordpress.com/

Category: People & Blogs

More From: JapanGovernment

Play All Stop Autoplaying | Play Next

QuickList(0)

Clear | Save

This is a video response to Japanese essay causes an Asian storm

218 ratings

35,071 views

Favorite

Playlists

Flag

Want to add to Favorites? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Want to add to Playlists? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Want to flag a video? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

This video has no Responses. Be the first to Post a Video Response.

Text Comments (246) Options

MrsmARTist (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

I like you japanese people
I lived in japan 6 month and met a lot of kind and nice japanese people
you call it bushido 'well you practice it good
D. jerusalem

Ramsez (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

-7

Marked as spam

Yoshuayovel (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

-3

Marked as spam

To Ramsez:
Haha subhuman^^

dream1893 (4 weeks ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

これは杉原千畝個人の良心による行動ではなく、当時の日本の国是である人種差別撤廃と八紘一宇、そして天皇陛下の大御心を心得た日本人としての行動である。
その証拠に、日本政府はこの不完全な杉原のビザに見て見ないフリをしてユダヤ人の入国を認め、日本国内では庶民がユダヤ人を温かく迎え、亡命先に送り出した。

THETMENTA (1 month ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

これは、八紘一宇の精神なのかな。日本は、日露戦争に勝って初期の国際会議から列強の一つとして参加していたけれど、唯一の黄色人種国家であったためにサイレントパートナーいわば金だけ出して、口は噤んでいろという感じだった。

THETMENTA (1 month ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

で、パリ条約の際に日本の全権団の一人、牧野氏が人種差別撤廃法案を出すのだけれど、白人至上主義の議長国アメリカのウィルソン大統領によって退けられた

THETMENTA (1 month ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

これが当時の日本の対米感情を悪化させた原因のひとつと言われてる。で、ＷＷ２では日本は白人から有色人種を開放するという目的で戦ったんよね。

THETMENTA (1 month ago)

Comment removed by author

oopp115500 (1 month ago) Show Hide

+12

Marked as spam

I will do a thing same as him, too.
It is Bushido.
I help a poor person, a weak person, a troubled person.
And, as for me, oneself cuts a stomach to take the responsibility.

hhhh9021 (1 month ago) Show Hide

+16

Marked as spam

This ia normal Japanese .This is real BUSHIDOU and GI. We should never forgettn him great behavior and Japanese pride

Showing 10 of 246 comments

Show More Comments

View All 246 comments

Would you like to comment?

Join YouTube for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.

YouTube	Programs	Help	Policy	Discover
Contact Us	Advertising	Get Help	Privacy Policy	YouTube on Your Phone
YouTube Store	Developers	YouTube Handbook	Terms of Service	YouTube on Your Site
Press Room	Partnerships	Community Help Forums	Copyright Notices	YouTube on Your TV
Business Blog	Content Management	Safety Center	Community Guidelines	YouTube RSS Feeds
YouTube Blog		Creator's Corner		TestTube

Add YouTube to your Google homepage

Current Location: Japan Show locations

A JAPANESE HOLOCAUST RESCUER

More From: JapanGovernment

QuickList(0)

Related Videos

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (0)

Text Comments (246) Options

Would you like to comment?